Why Visit Butchart Gardens
Flowers are a predominate theme of the Victoria region. About 40 minutes north of Victoria is a must-see gorgeous garden. No we are not being biased. It was named one of the Top 10 Magnificent Gardens in the world by National Geographic. Allow at least a morning if not the whole day. They even have entertainment and fireworks in the evenings during the season.
Author & Photographer: George Mitchell
Our advice below is not based on a couple of tourist trips. Our recommendations are based on our extensive experience living in Western Canada. We are avid hikers, nature lovers and photographers (all photos are my own).
All of our recommendations are top-rated by Google Maps Ratings, which is based on everyone, not just tourists. Each place recommended in our custom CA Victoria Map is appended with a Google Maps Rating (G0 to G5).
Sunken Gardens
The Sunken Garden is our favourite spot. It is also the origin of the gardens. You can see the view from above, but you have to walk down many stairs to visit the flower beds. The gardens span 55 acres. Fortunately, the Sunken Gardens are located very close to the entrance.
Butchart History
Robert Butchart moved from the province of Ontario to the Saanich Peninsula on Vancouver Island for the rich limestone deposits needed to produce cement. When the limestone quarry was exhausted in 1909, his wife Jennie Butchart set about turning the quarry into a Sunken Garden. She hired a 67-year old garden designer Isaburo Kishida from Yokohama, who was working in the Victoria region.
Ross Fountain
At the end of the Sunken Garden is the arcing Ross Fountain. It is named after Jennie Butchart’s grandson Ian Ross, who inherited the gardens. The fountain was installed in 1964 for the 60th anniversary of the gardens. It is equipped with programmable, colour LED lighting for nighttime viewing.
We loved this Velvet Trumpet flower also known as Painted Tongue (Salpiglossis sinuate). The species name originates from Greek salpinx (trumpet) plus glōssa (tongue). This herb originated in the southern Andes.
Our Swiss friend, Ruth, enjoyed the Rose Garden. Be sure to also visit the Japanese Garden.
The Greenhouses
This is just one of 26 greenhouses with eye-blowing colours. It takes over 50 gardeners to take care of 900 varieties of plants.
Hours and Location
Download the Butchart Gardens Map. The 22 ha (55 acre) park is open year-round from 0900 to 2100 hrs. and costs < $28 in off-season and $31 to $34 from April 01 to September 30. There a several dining facilities. You can even have high tea ($41.20) of scones, sandwiches, sweets and tea at the Dining Room Restaurant, rated a 4.6 on Google.
Butchart Gardens is located in Brentwood Bay, at 800 Benvenuto Ave., which means welcome in Italian. It was Jennie’s original name for their new garden.
Final Comments on this Itinerary
This is a relaxing itinerary where you can experience the lesser-known sights in the suburbs of Victoria
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Itinerary Map & Resources
Google Maps Ratings
Google Maps provides a rating from 0 to 5 for all sights, hotels and restaurants (but not cities). All of our recommendations are appended with the rating (prefixed with a G) from Google Maps. As it is based on feedback from tourists and locals, it is much more reliable than travel booking websites. We consider a score of 4 to 4.39 to be Very Good; 4.4 to 5 to be Excellent.
Other Places to Add to Your Itinerary
Victoria, the capital city of BC, has the best climate. This is the city of flowers and gardens, views and volcanoes! It’s one of our favourite places. Victoria may just be the best small city to visit in all of North America.
You can spend all or part of the day at Butchart, then drive 87 km, 80 minutes to Chemainus.
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